BELENOK Peter Ivanovich

July 14, 1938 (Korogod, Kiev province) — 1991 (Moscow)

Painter, sculptor

Belenok graduated from Kiev Art School. He studied at the faculty of sculpture at Kiev State Art Institute (1957–1963). In 1967 Belenok moved to Moscow and joined the Union of artists of the USSR. At that time his artistic views changed radically. As a joke Belenok named his own art manner panic realism: his compositions were filled with numerous fleeing and flying in the outer space human figures.

In 1972 the first personal exhibition of the artist was held in Moscow at the café Blue Bird.

Belenok participated in many exhibitions in the USSR and abroad (United Kingdom, Italy, USA, France, Germany and others). In 1970 he exposed his works at the Exhibition Nuove correnti a Mosca (Museo Belle Arti, Lugano, Switzerland); in 1974 — the Exhibition Progressive Strömungen in Moskau 1957–1970 (Museum Bochum, Bochum, Germany); in 1975 — the Exhibition of paintings of Moscow Artists at the pavilion Apiculture (All-Russia Exhibition Center, Moscow); in 1975 — the Exhibition of paintings of Moscow Artists at the pavilion House of Culture (All-Russia Exhibition Center, Moscow). Since 1977 Belenok took part in the exhibitions of Moscow joint committee of graphic artists (MOKKhG) in the Malaya Gruzinskaya Street, 28 (Moscow). In 1987 he participated in the exhibition Retrospection. 1957–87 in Moscow. In 1991 he exposed his works at the Exhibition Other Art. Moscow. 1956–76 in the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.

From E. Limonov’s Moscow bohemia:
“For the last few years of living in Moscow paintings of P. Belenok ousted paintings of other artists from the walls. In his paintings men were overtaken by mysterious cataclysms.
Peter knew Polish language well, that’s what has ruined him. He started to read Polish art magazines and picked up a number of alien ideas, with which life in Russia became hard. For example, he translated poetry of French poets from Polish into Russian. This is obviously strange, but he wanted to know processes in the art of the West. He read both Joyce and Kafka in Polish; he formed his art style under the influence of these books.”